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By The Tennessee Conservative’s Olivia Lupia –
As someone who fled a state where marijuana and cannabinoids were fully legalized in 2013, I can tell you firsthand of the unforeseen consequences Tennessee will inevitably face should HB0836 pass the legislature this session.
This bill stands in conflict with the values Tennessee espouses to promote and protect and would open the floodgates to many undesirable repercussions. I moved to Tennessee from Colorado for freedom and protection with legalized marijuana being a huge motivator for leaving the state, as it resulted in numerous negative consequences.
To begin, the same promises reflected in HB0836 about exponential increases to state revenue were major selling points for voters in Colorado, yet there was no accountability or transparency regarding these funds. While there is income recorded for the state overall, there is little-to-no ability to directly track the avenues by which this money is spent or distributed.
The state, in essence, created a slush fund for itself with no incentive to honestly report its usage. While HB0836 does stipulate where and how tax revenue is to be collected, the provision allowing establishments to remit payments in cash could lead to a similar conundrum.
Regarding the argument that THC (and other forms of marijuana) is an effective remedy for PTSD and other medical conditions, while I certainly empathize, having dealt with the condition myself after being hit head-on at a 120-mph impact by a drunk-and-stoned driver, I can also attest that legalizing a drug just because it’s “natural” with minimal oversight or regulation is not the answer.
I fully believe in holistic and natural healing, but I recognize the danger of complete and underregulated legalization which opens the door to the legalization of other drugs, such as hallucinogens and psychedelics, something my former home city of Colorado Springs has already begun.
Cartels also have a heavy presence in Colorado, using it as the base for many of their U.S. operations, and as I learned during the the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Citizen’s Academy, the department’s Rural Enforcement & Outreach Unit spends much of its time on marijuana-related offenses despite the legalization, including the seizure of excess plants and partnering on operations to bust human trafficking cartels funded through cannabis growing and smuggling.
Given the resurgence of the foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua in Tennessee, it would seem unwise to further incentivize such gangs of violent criminals to keep any operations in our state, especially as President Trump’s administration is diligently working to remove them.
Overall, since the legalization, DUI and hospitalization rates have skyrocketed, and traffic fatalities where a driver testified positive for any cannabinoid increased 140%. The black market has not diminished, as it is, “inherently hidden from regulation and oversight”, and significant tax rates drive the market back underground, another failed promise the supporters of the Colorado legislation promoted.
The following reports offer further statistics and details:
Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
Hillsdale Imprimis- Marijuana, Mental Illness, and Violence
Colorado has also seen one of the highest increases in homelessness in the nation in 2023 alone, and chronic homelessness has increased by 150% over the last decade.
Other states have also experienced similar issues after their legalization of recreational marijuana, including, “complex and inconsistent regulatory landscape for contamination testing.” Even President Barack Obama’s administration advocated against marijuana legalization, citing “significant risk” to public health.
As the promoted values of Tennessee stand in direct contrast to these other states in the preservation of law, order, and safety of its citizens, I do not believe our legislature should be taking our cues from such examples.
The 36-page behemoth bill sponsored by Democrats not only makes the substance easily accessible through dispensaries and allowance for personal possession and growth of plants, but severely infringes upon the rights of the citizenry and upends the respect for the rule of law in multiple scenarios.
For example, contained within the language of the bill are provisions stating that while employers may still establish policies restricting or prohibiting usage in the workplace and may choose not to hire someone if they discover the applicant uses marijuana in certain circumstances, it stipulates that usage of marijuana or products containing the substance will no longer be “deemed a discharge for misconduct”, meaning employment can no longer be terminated for usage.
Another section prohibits municipal governments from expressing autonomy in keeping their citizenry safe or acting on the will of their constituents should they oppose the legalization, forbidding them from adopting or enforcing, “a rule, ordinance, order, resolution, or other regulation that prohibits or unreasonably restricts the cultivation, production, manufacture, dispensing, transportation, or possession of marijuana or marijuana products or the operation of a marijuana grower, marijuana processor, marijuana dispensary, marijuana transporter, marijuana research facility, or marijuana testing facility as authorized by this chapter.”
This is a shocking overreach of the state and infringement upon the rights of the citizenry to determine the way they choose to have their local governing bodies function.
In conclusion, there is much more than meets the eye in this outrageous bill. Conservatives should be wary of this legislation not only because of the potentially detrimental effects this legalization can have on public health, safety, and economy, but because it would undermine many of the citizenry’s rights and pave the way for a further slide away from the values we hold dear.
HB0836 is scheduled to be heard before the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday, March 26. Because I believe in and actively work to uphold the traditional and conservative values that supposedly set our state apart, I stand firmly in opposition to this bill. I have contacted the members to ask for a “NO” vote and hope fellow conservatives across the state will join me.
HB0836 Summary: Controlled Substances – As introduced, enacts the “Tennessee Cannabis Act.” – Amends TCA Title 4; Title 29; Title 33; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 41; Title 43; Title 45; Title 50; Title 53; Title 63; Title 67; Title 68 and Title 71.
Contact info for House Criminal Justice Subcommittee:
Rep.clay.doggett@capitol.tn.gov, rep.fred.atchley@capitol.tn.gov, rep.andrew.farmer@capitol.tn.gov, rep.william.lamberth@capitol.tn.gov, rep.mary.littleton@capitol.tn.gov, rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.lowell.russell@capitol.tn.gov, rep.gabby.salinas@capitol.tn.gov, rep.rick.scarbrough@capitol.tn.gov
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
3 Responses
We’re cursed with “Conservatives” who are against God and the FREEDOM He blessed us with, who call plants drugs. We, who would benefit greatly, must suffer because of the well intended’s futile efforts supposedly protecting the misusers and abusers from themselves.
Genesis 1:29
And God GOD!! said, Behold, I have given you(for your judicious responsible use) every EVERY!! herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, AND(also) every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
What we NEED here in the “Land of the (not so)Free” is lucifer’s prohibition ended and our GOD GIVEN herbal FREEDOM RESTORED to grow and use our own medicine.
This article doesn’t have any convincing reasons to not legalize it. I don’t use it but apparently it is easy to get and sometimes it is laced with Fentenyl.
Be smart and practical.
Legalizing it is better and safer for everyone.
Not one thing in this article is true, just another big conservative government myth.
Drug use among teens went down. Fentanyl use nowhere near as bad as your state. Our cops are paid higher than yours because we gave them 33 percent of the states marijuana tax money.
Our schools have free lunches. Homelessness nowhere near as bad as Tennessee.